underachiever
noun
un·der·achiev·er
ˌən-dər-ə-ˈchē-vər 
: one (such as a student) that fails to attain a predicted level of achievement or does not do as well as expected
Examples of underachiever in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Especially given the turmoil with the other edge rushers, eyes are focused on seeing if Murphy looks like the same underachiever from the first two years or a blossoming athletic specimen.
—
Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 8 July 2025
On the other side, some health-care underachievers like Bristol Myers and Danaher are finally bouncing after their rough couple of months.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 1 July 2025
How did this guy turn out to be such an underachiever and such an awkward father?
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The Athletic has a story filled with tables of draft picks by schools and conferences.
USC immediately stands out as an underachiever.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underachiever
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 8 July 2025
On the other side, some health-care underachievers like Bristol Myers and Danaher are finally bouncing after their rough couple of months.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 1 July 2025
How did this guy turn out to be such an underachiever and such an awkward father?
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The Athletic has a story filled with tables of draft picks by schools and conferences.
USC immediately stands out as an underachiever.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for underachiever
Cite this Entry
“Underachiever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underachiever. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
underachiever
noun
un·der·achiev·er
ˌən-də-rə-ˈchē-vər
: one (as a student) that fails to do as well as expected
Medical Definition
underachiever
noun
un·der·achiev·er
ˌən-dər-ə-ˈchē-vər
: a person (as a student) who fails to attain a predicted level of achievement or does not do as well as expected
underachieve
intransitive verb
-ˈchēv
underachieved; underachieving
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share